Roadside Prophets (1991)

This loping, easygoing road movie throws together familiar ingredients--a pair of mismatched traveling buddies, a series of encounters with unusual strangers (the "prophets" of the title), and a personal quest to quench demons from the past--for a journey that doesn't strike out into new territory but provides an amiable trip for its wandering souls. Rocker John Doe (formerly of the punk band X) is a working stiff whose journey to deliver the ashes of a friend to their final resting place in Eldorado, Nevada, becomes something of a New Age odyssey. Joined by Sam (Beastie Boy Adam Horowitz), a lost youth obsessed with the ubiquitous Motel 9s that dot every truck stop and crossroads, the two wrangle their motorcycles down desert highways like Gen-X Easy Riders, only without the drugs, the rednecks, or the '60s soundtrack (the excellent score by Pray for Rain also includes songs by Doe, former X-mate Excene Cervenka, and the Pogues). Cameos by weathered 1960s icons Timothy Leary and Arlo Guthrie join David Carradine as a guitar-playing hermit and John Cusack as an insane, food-throwing anarchist. Director Abbe Wool (who wrote Sid and Nancy) is content to watch the world ramble by from the back of a motorcycle and enjoy the company--which makes entertaining viewing if you like the personalities and an interminable trip if you don't. --Sean Axmaker Amazon.com

Subtley good in many ways

I have this movie on VHS, and now that it's out on DVD I'll replace the tape. Was hoping it would have scenes in it that weren't in the video version, but since the running time is listed as 96 minutes and the tape says "approx" 98 minutes, it's not going to have. There is a pic on the back cover of the tape showing Timothy Leary in a scene not in the tape, so it is in the "deleted" catagory, hopefully the DVD will have that.

This movie is not a "biker" movie, nor is it intended to be. It's a buddy movie, certainly, and the buddies are on motorcycles. It's also a movie with several takes on life. One reviewer trashed the movie for not having a lot of motorcycles in it (again, it's not a biker movie) and referred to it as a late 90's biker flick. It's an early 90's flick, made and released in 1991-92.

Joe Mosely (John Doe) has worked at a factory for the last 6 years, "it pays the bills" he says, including $600 a month alimony to an ex-wife. Glad I don't live in an alimony state! At the end of the end of the shift he meets new-hire Dave Coleman in the parking lot. Joe is struck by Dave's classic 1965 Harley-Davidson Electra Glide, Joe has a 1957 Harley Hydra Glide, which, contrary to Dave's (and later Sam's) statements, is not "cherry". It's primered red, without the pogo seat that was stock and instead has a seat mounted right on the frame, chopper style, held together by duct tape. They ride to a strip bar where Dave tells Joe about a casino in Nevada run by a nice family that makes you feel good, and suggests they make a run there. While Joe's getting beers Dave is electrocuted while playing a faulty video game. Joe thinks he has no family because Dave told him they were all killed in a car wreck, so he pays for a funeral/cremation. A recurring character in the movie, although only a voice on the phone, Angie from personnel, tells him that Dave did indeed have family and offers to help him get reimbursed by falsely stating in the computer records that it was a shop accident that killed Dave, the first of several scams she tells Joe she'll do in return for him dating her. After Joe takes Dave's ashes to his family, he finds out why Dave preferred to say they were dead, and why he has an affection for the casino owners, as the maid dumps the Electra-Glide gas tank Joe put his ashes in, in the trash can. He retrieves them and the odyssey to find the casino in what Joe thinks is a town called "Eldorado" begins so that he can spread Dave's ashes in a place where he was happy.

This trip begins his chance meetings with Sam (Adam Horovitz), who seems kind of crazy to Joe at first, when he sees him at a Motel 9 and then at a beer stop on the highway where he's talking nostalgic bike runs with Harvey (Arlo Guthrie). Sam shows up with a beat up 1968 Triumph Bonneville and they begin the rest of the trip together. Along the way they meet an odd assortment of people with various philosophies and takes on life. Joe listens, Sam thinks they're all insane. Sam has an obsession about staying at Motel 9's that you only find out the reason for at the end of the movie, and due to that they temporarily split up in the rain when Joe wants to stop for the night at the first place with a room, and Sam angrily rides on. It's here that Joe meets the "roadside prophet" that I think has the most profound things to say to him, in a quiet way. The clerk Jesse (Harry Caesar) splits the last of a bottle of Wild Turkey with Joe at the Pinoche Inn in Pinoche, Nevada. Jesse gets around to the subject of love and friendship, and how he's spent his life "on the sidelines, going to work, paying my taxes. Now I'm so damn old, I wish I'd lived a little more recklessly". Joe scoffs at his talk of the importance of love and friendship, but Jesse tells him "find yourself a friend kid". The next morning, Joe then races to catch up with Sam and along the way meets back up with dancer Ms. Labia Mirage (Jennifer Balgobin) whom he first met in Vegas at a club where Flea (Red Hot Chili Peppers) is playing in a band called Too Free Stooges, and together they finally find Sam, not in a place called El Dorado, but in Jackpot, Nevada. We see how desperately lonely Sam is and he tells Joe about about his life, in the bar. They've both hit bottom by this point, Joe saying "You want life to mean something, but it's such a pain in the (fanny). You just end up with some job, and an ex-wife, and you can't get ahead either".

There's more, but this movie, to me, is really about friendship, learning about life from other's perspectives, and learning from those older and wiser. Joe is slowly coming to the realization of how empty and purposeless his life is, and Sam finally comes to grips with an ugly truth from his past about his own family (he's not so different from Dave there)and ultimately both of them make the decision to take control of their lives and start really living, before it's too late, and not being tied to the past. The final roadside prophet they meet has a profound impact on Sam, and utlimately on Joe.

Some nits to pick, but let me say I love this movie, have watched it many times and rate it 5 stars. It's a great soundtrack (that I bought the cd of). What bothers me a little is Joe saying a couple of times that he'd rather have a "stock '56" Harley than his '57, which he says at the beginning he "sort of inherited from my dad". Why? The 1957 Harley Hydra Glide is a classic, it was the last year of the rigid rear suspension; in 1958 Harley put a swingarm and shocks on a new model called the Duo-Glide. This bike remained unchanged until 1965 when they put an electric starter on it and it became the Electra-Glide. Dave's bike, a beautiful blue and white 1965 Electra-Glide (minus fairing or windshield) is the true classic in the movie because it was the first year of an electric starter on any H-D, and the last year of the Panhead engine. Sam's bike is claimed to be a 1968 Truimph Bonneville 750. If I remember correctly, the Bonneville was a 650cc bike (the T120 model) until approx 1974, when a, first 724cc and then 744cc engine was put in it (the T140 model). Also Sam's bike has a front disc brake, which didn't come out until the same time as the 750 variant.

As I said, that's picking nits. The prophets of the movie are varied, and in my view, most have important to say. Jesse talking about the importance of love and friendship, about rattling the cage while there's still time. Othello Jones (David Carradine) talks to them over a dinner he's prepared in a campground about not letting yourself be made a slave, of not being a puppet and making your life, and death, mean something. Oscar and Celeste (Bill Cobbs and Lyn Shaye, in their "house of dead meat" are two people who are dying, he from cancer from nuke tests and she from AIDS from sharing dirty needles. They talk of the importance of protest against injustice, as Oscar says "they're spending more on building new prisons than on building new schools", and, again, about the making your life, and death, mean something. Harvey (Arlo Guthrie), the bartender and gas station attendant, talks to Joe of how he hasn't been on a run in 30 years, since he got married. He doesn't charge Joe for the beer and tells him "just keep riding" as his form of payment. Joe has to realize then and there that even with $600 a month payment, he's better off without a wife that didn't share his passions. This is listed as a comedy, but even with the existential sheriff talking about the despair of society and the crazed Casper, the dine-and-dash "Symbianese" anarchist shouting "Free Food For The Poor", there is what I found to be some profound advice being dispensed. September 5, 2008

Nice escapism

I felt like I was taken on the ride along with the characters, but you have to be in a really chill mood to properly enjoy it. Also, the "Cameos" by then unknown actors is great fun! Try to spot Don Cheadle! September 27, 2007

Roadside Prophets tells a new generation......

Get on a Harley and ride cross country, oh, actually, ride to Nevada to bury a guy you barely knew. John Doe plays Joe Mosley, a factory worker who tries to do something righteous for a fellow biker. He encounters all kinds of people from all different social statures, and he is a rebel, but a quiet rebel. Then comes along Adam Horovitz (Sam) and the journey becomes an adventure. Everyone should see this movie. Well...every lawyer and doctor and business person who doesn't have time for this movie, needs to slow down and watch this movie. The rest of us should have already seen it, if not, "GO NOW"! Plus, Flea is in the movie. I always turn new people on to this movie and play the game, "Find Flea in the movie". June 14, 2007

A road movie with Motorcycles.

This movie was a fairly corny late 90's biker flick. It was nothing like a corny late 60's biker flick. John Doe and that Beastie Boy kid show that they have about as much acting talent as musical talent, which isn't much. This is just one of those movies that you buy if it's cheap enough and you're a die hard biker flick fan (like me). Like most in this genre, the story wasn't very interesting. That's not a big deal if there are loads of vintage cycles in the picture, but that is not the case here. Not much other than the Triumph and '57 Harley here. There are a few laughs and some interesting cameo's (Timothy Leary comes to mind) but I couldn't say that I'd really recommend this movie to anybody but the most hardcore biker movie fan.

Well, that's it. I'm off to Alaska. May 15, 2007

free food for the poor!

I haven't seen this movie in a while, but I love it! It's touching, and so effing funny!! I'm talking rewind and watch parts over again, tears streaming down your face funny! Good times. Not to mention THE most realistic drug trip in a movie I think i've ever seen. Arlo rules. But why isn't it on DVD?!?!?!? Give the people what they want. Plus the soundtrack is good too! word. May 24, 2005

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